


Affliction and Affection

by DarlingOfDathomir



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars- The Last Jedi
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hux is Not Nice, Implied/Referenced Torture, No reylo, Space Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2019-07-27 22:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16228256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarlingOfDathomir/pseuds/DarlingOfDathomir
Summary: When a second Apprentice emerges from Wild Space in the wake of Snoke's death, Kylo at first fears an enemy, but might find a friend instead.Suffering from the ancient, almost extinct virus that inspired the original myths of vampires, she's afraid that her presence might be more hindrance than help, and when a cunning enemy discovers her secret- it seems her fears may be right.-I love Kylo and damnit that boy needs a hug, lol. Reylo has a million fics, so I wanted to write something a little different for us Kylo stans that may not ride that ship into the harbor.





	1. Chapter 1

After the incident on Crait, Kylo’s time was split between lurking in his quarters or finding relief in destruction, often spending grueling late night sessions in his training arena. He took his visits there rather than some office, holding council amidst the scattered remains of destroyed droids and walls marred with saber gouges. He wasn’t one to perch himself on a throne, and the reminders of his power that surrounded him were a comfort.  
  
So much had happened so fast, and he couldn't bear to admit to himself that it was overwhelming. His father, Snoke, Skywalker, and essentially Rey, too... were gone. The only person he had regular contact with now was the General, as handling things through one person at least made everything feel more manageable. The man was a control freak, and in manipulating that trait Kylo had managed to put the bulk of the work on his narrow shoulders; the same shoulders that were now squared as he insisted on the importance of building a new super-weapon.  
  
“Supreme Leader… we have construction crews ready to break ground on the second Starkiller. It would be easier to just salvage what we can rather than trying to piece the ship back together.”  
  
“Your pet project is of no concern to me, Hux. The Supremacy was our flagship and we need it back. It would save a considerable amount of resources to focus on that first.”  
  
“A new super-weapon would be the crowning jewel of the First Order, it’s hardly something to be demeaned as a ‘pet project’. You need to-hck!” Hux was silenced by the all too familiar feeling of his windpipe being squeezed shut by an invisible hand.  
  
“The ‘ _crowning jewel’_ will be proving the Resistance’s little stunt amounted to nothing, General Hux. Do you understand me?”  
  
He nodded as he clawed at his throat, sputtering, “Y-yes, Supreme Leader.”  
  
“Leave me. Tend to your tasks.” Kylo released him and Hux nodded curtly, rubbing at his throat before turning sharply on his heel to leave the room.  
  
Kylo activated his saber and swirled it absentmindedly at his side. The crackle was comforting. He didn’t miss Snoke at all, but having no one to give him orders was something he wasn’t used to. The freedom was almost too much, and it felt like he was wildly careening forth in a yet unknown direction. Rey was lost to him, of that he was sure- and after her abandoning him he didn’t really want her company anyways.  
  
He was the Supreme Leader, the ruler of the galaxy, and he was so very alone.  
  
-  
  
A sharp alarm interrupted her meditation. The holoprojector in her chambers activated, and Snoke’s hologram cast a blue glow throughout the dark room as his mangled face lit up the shadows.  
  
“My dear apprentice, the unthinkable has happened- I am no longer on this plane.  
It is possible that the First Order is no more, the General’s ego leading our fleet to destruction.  
It is possible that the heir of darkness has been vanquished by his equal in the light.  
It is even possible that I did not foresee the depths to which the vein of his weakness ran, and he _turned_ to the light.  
It is your strength and your resolve that give me faith... that in whatever you may find...  
It is not possible you will fail me.  
Now go.  
Through the grace of my training, you will control your affliction and see to it that our work is done.”  
  
She slipped from her meditation riser, wide-eyed, and hit the play button again. And again. And _again._ One of the droids that tended to her chimed at the door.  
  
“Mistress Salus, Snoke has summoned your presence to civilized space. We are preparing your ship. Do begin to pack what you wish to bring, we are to leave in two hours per the Supreme Leader’s order.” In the years she’d spent exiled to the base in wild space she hadn’t returned to the core worlds even _once_. The droids provided some companionship, but the thought of meeting actual sentients again was thrilling...  
  
And terrifying.  
  
Snoke’s initial punishment for her catastrophic failure on Nar Shadda was brutal enough; her containment was simply an additional cruelty. The loneliness didn’t last, though. Her training was intensive, and much of her spare time was spent sparring or meditating. She’d almost mastered suspension in the darkness, able to float inside herself motionless for days at a time. Sometimes, when Snoke was occupied and the force flowed through her uninhibited she’d slip farther from herself than allowed. Like a sparrow on the breeze she’d float through the inky blackness just to feel _him_ .  
  
The chosen one. Snoke’s dark prince.  
  
The one who wasn’t… damaged.  
  
He’d caught her once, furious that she would risk interfering with his molding of his masterpiece. She still bore the scars from that punishment; the lightning that he sent coursing through her was the one injury she couldn’t heal. It was a harsh reminder that no one, _no one,_ was to know of her existence. Not only could it prove a distraction to him, but she was his most hidden of secrets. Should anything happen she was to come forth from the wilderness and be his reckoning.  
  
Most everything was already packed- had _been_ packed for a long time. With every technological update Snoke would bring her she’d repack the contents of her crates to be ready at a moment’s notice, though part of her was sure that day would never come. A puff of dust floated down from the top of the crate as she pulled her nicer armor out of the storage area. It was thin songsteel plating burnished a deep red over a black woven bodysuit with fine chainmail over the pressurized neck gasket. Even the fingers of her gloves were bedecked in the deceptively dainty plating. Two thick vibroplated gauntlets were set on each forearm, looking out of place with the rest of the outfit. Not even the smallest bit of skin was visible, the outside world left to guess who and what she was.  
  
They wouldn’t believe what she was anyways.  
  
Her droids were waiting on the ship when she reached the hangar. The base in which she lived was a small spire, floating in a wide orbit around the planet Terin. No other sentient beings that she knew of dared venture this far out; the thick asteroid belt littered with the corpses of scouter ships enough of a deterrent.  
  
“Niner, take care of everything. I’ll be back to visit, I promise.”  
  
“It’s ridiculous that I have to stay behind while you take those useless _robots_ with you.”  
  
“You know I don’t make the rules, sweetness.”  
  
“Well you _could_ now, considering...”  
  
“This could be a test for all we know. Do you really want to get your circuits fried because you wanted to go on a joyride?”  
  
“I suppose that is a valid point. Well, I loaded up a secondary plasma generator should your trip be extended and the first fail.”  
  
“As always, I can count on you. I’ll miss you.” She patted the four-armed droid on his uppermost shoulder. It was sleek modified IG-88 that initially served as a guard. She didn’t perform the scheduled memory wipes, and over time it developed its own personality, becoming the closest thing she had to a friend.  
  
“You’ll miss your head if you don’t get going- you should have left five minutes ago.”  
  
She pulled her helmet on, the bottom of it sealing to the gasket on her neck with a hiss. One of her servant droids had already set out her meditation pillow near the cockpit and she sat down, crossing her legs and clasping her hands in her lap. As the ship lifted off, she broke through the thin veil that separated the physical from the force and immersed herself in darkness, preparing for whatever chaos awaited.  
-  
  
A flustered lieutenant burst into the General’s office, somehow out of breath even though the room wasn’t all that far from the bridge.  
  
“Sir, there’s a ship requesting access to the hangar- it’s one of ours, using Snoke’s access codes. I-I don’t know what’s happening. I thought he was dead?”  
  
Hux lept to his feet, an almost comically large frown on his face. “No. No he’s dead, I saw his corpse with my own eyes. What ship is it?”  
  
“It’s the Silent Dawn, an S-11, a small freigh-”  
  
“I know what an S-11 is, lieutenant.” he cut him off irritatedly as he stormed around his desk. “Grant them access, send troops to the hangar. Let our _Supreme Leader_ know what’s happening, though I doubt he’ll bother with it.” Hux relished the absolute disgust in which he could spit that title when Ren wasn’t around. It fell from his lips with the cut of a curse, as if it were the most horrible insult he could think of.  
-  
  
There was a beep as the ramp lowered; only then did she bring herself out of meditation. She had no idea what was waiting for her once her boots stepped off the ship, and found a flutter of nervousness twisting in her stomach. She clipped a black armorweave cape to her shoulders and strode down the ramp, four droids in tow.  
  
“That’s far enough!”  
  
She stopped about thirty feet from the small group of what appeared to be officers. General Hux was here and clearly fine, surrounded by troopers. In fact, the hangar was half full of them. Everything seemed to be surprisingly… ordered. Perhaps it was Kylo Ren who failed? She wanted to reach out to him during their trip, but was afraid of the repercussions should Snoke be waiting and feel her grasping through the dark.  
  
“Who are you and how do you have Snoke’s access code?”  
  
“You’re General Hux.”  
  
“Astute observation, but that isn’t the question. _Who_ are _you?”_  
  
“You’re thinner than I imagined.” He clenched his jaw and his pale cheeks flushed. He nodded his head and Phasma raised a clenched fist into the air. The hangar echoed with the sound of troopers raising their weapons.  
  
Salus raised her hand, lowering it palm down in a slow, deliberate motion. The color drained from the General’s face as every trooper in the hangar was forced to lower their blasters.  
  
_Stars don’t tell me Snoke had another one. I’ll jettison myself into space. Hell, I’ll defect and join the kriffing Resistance._  
  
“I am Salus Tau, Master of the Knights of Tau and Snoke’s second apprentice, summoned in the wake of his death to avenge him and recover leadership for the First Order. So tell me, General. How have you failed us?” _  
_ _  
_ “I beg your pardon?!”  
  
“Begging yes, pardon no.” She extended her arm, held out two fingers in a V shape, then sharply pointed them at the ground. He yelped as his knees slammed into the cold metal of the hangar floor. He would have preferred to have been choked over this embarrassment. She marched over, not stopping till she loomed above him. Snoke had said he was strong-willed- he was right. There was no fear in the eyes that looked up at her; they burned with pure contempt.  
  
“Snoke is dead, yes? Tell me how it happened.”  
  
He sounded almost like a child as he snitched on his leader. “Ren brought the scavenger girl aboard, he thought Snoke could turn her but she killed Snoke then defeated him. ”  
  
“That entire situation sounds… ridiculous.”  
  
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t agree with you.” he mumbled.  
  
Her shoulders shook sightly as if she laughed, but he couldn’t see anything behind the smoked glass of her strange mask. Where Kylo's had ornamental silver work and a flared back, hers was completely smooth, save the speaker grills and respirator ports on the side. The smallest seams could be seen where a two inch wide gray band covered her eyes. “Stand. Take me to him.”  
  
He rose to his feet, dusting himself off. “And I’m just supposed to believe you?” Her attention was drawn behind him as Kylo Ren flew through the doors like a black phantom, his darkness exploding into her consciousness like a baradium bomb.  
  
“What you do or do not believe is no longer relevant to me, General.”  
  
She shoved past him, the darkness pulsing with excitement in her veins. “Kylo Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren, heir apparent to Lord Vader,” she called out to the fast approaching man, “I meet you in the flesh at last.”  
  
He ignited his saber and charged at her without saying a word.  
-

 

Kylo almost got hit by a practice bolt as he froze halfway through sparring; a familiar darkness clawed at his awareness. It felt like… Snoke? His hands shook as he paced in his training room, running them through his hair over and over.  
  
_It can’t be. He’s dead. I saw it. He’s dead. Dead. I killed him. I killed him but now he’s back and he knows what I did. He’s going to kill me. Torture me to death. Rend me to shreds._  
  
A lieutenant ran through the doors, panting, relaying what he’d told the General. A First Order ship requested access with Snoke’s codes.

 

“I’ll die fighting him. I won’t, I won’t kneel. I won’t beg. Not again. No. No no no.” As he rushed to the hangar he worked himself up into a frenzy, just on the edge of hysteria, doing his best to weaponize the dread and fear in his chest.  
  
The figure he saw wasn’t Snoke, but it didn’t matter. It had to die.  
  
She told herself she was prepared for anything, but hadn’t thought fighting Kylo would be one of those things. With only a split second to react she quickly pulled her weapon, the light hum of her saber a stark contrast to the crackling blade bearing down on her.  
  
He roared as he swung at her and she stumbled beneath the power of the strike. They seemed to dance as they fought across the hangar, both swirling and dipping amongst showers of sparks. Hux observed with a sick amusement as he watched the two exchange blows, curious as to whether one would kill the other.  
  
She crumpled under a particularly savage hit, pushing her to her knees. He swung overhead, teeth bared, elated at the anticipation of landing a killing blow. She blocked it with the armor on her forearm and it actually _deflected_ the blade. It shouldn’t have stopped- he didn’t understand.  
  
Everything went into slow motion, a cold horror clutching his heart as he watched her rise up, blade aimed right at his unprotected torso. He could feel the burning of her hilt pressing into his stomach as she pushed up from the floor. His reflection in her polished helmet stared back at him, his face twisted into painful disbelief, saber slipping from his hands.  
  
“I’m honored to meet you at last, Kylo Ren.”  
  
He looked down at his stomach to see that she’d deactivated her blade as she pushed up; the residual heat that lingered in the metal was the burning he’d felt. She summoned his saber from the ground and handed it to him.  
  
“I am Solus, Master of the Knights of Tau, second apprentice to Snoke, summoned from the reaches of wild space upon his death. We have much to discuss.”  
  
The fervor of his panic washed away and left him hollow, adding additional exhaustion to the weariness that already haunted his bones. He just wanted to be away from it all, the flight response from his adrenaline kicking in. He snatched his saber from her and spun on heel to storm from the hangar, waving his hand in irritation at the General.  
  
“Hux, do something with that.”  
  
This was nothing like she had expected at _all._ She stood in place as she watched him leave, perplexed at what had just happened, and honestly feeling a little put-out. Hux sauntered over, a disgustingly smug grin plastered across his face.  
  
_"That_ was quite an interesting display.”  
  
“It was… unexpected.” she whispered, eyes following Kylo as he left. She snapped from her trance and turned her attention back to the General. “My droids will unload my things. I do not require elaborate quarters, but I would prefer somewhere to rest other than my ship.”  
  
“I will see that it’s done, er... how do you wish for me to address you?”  
  
Snoke had never given her a title, it wasn’t needed. She knew her place in all this... and it was as the ‘Last Resort’. Hardly something to go by.  
  
“I need no title, I know what I am. You may call me Solus, and you will enlighten me on the current situation while your men prepare my living space.”

 

Hux was impressed by her fight with Ren, and she seemed to be the perfect opportunity for him to possibly dispose of the tempestuous man. He still had a deep-seated loathing for force users, but he was going to do everything he could to get off on the right foot with this one. Snoke was above manipulation, but if she was anything like her other half (and he suspected she was) turning her against him wouldn’t be inconceivable.  
  
“Absolutely, one moment.” He stepped away to bark orders, officers scattering off in different directions to tend to their assigned tasks.  
  
“If you’ll follow me, I can debrief you in my office.” He continued on as they walked. “The incident with Snoke was highly unexpected. The rebels flew an entire Star Cruiser through the Supremacy which only served to add to the chaos.”  
  
“I was unaware. I hadn’t seen Snoke since the destruction of Starkiller. My notification of his death is the only news I’ve heard since I last saw him.”  
  
They stepped onto the lift, and Hux motioned for his guard to wait.  
  
“While we’re alone, I want you to know that things might be quite… different… from what Snoke has told you. Kylo Ren is the Supreme Leader now, true, but he spends most of his time sequestered. If you have any questions or need anything at all, _anything._ Don’t hesitate to contact me directly.”  
  
He did his best not to cringe and gently put a ‘friendly’ pat on her shoulder as he finished the sentence. She lept back as if she’d been shocked with a thousand volts, throwing herself against the wall behind her.  
  
“Don’t touch me! Don’t _ever_ touch me!”  
  
Hux was startled and yelped at the motion, clutching his hand to his chest. _Stars they’re all insane._ _  
_ _  
_ “I… it’s for your safety, General. I have an affliction, an, an illness. It’s better for everyone if there’s no contact.” Something in her wanted to lunge towards him at even that slightest touch.  
  
“Ah, yes, I see.” _The force *is* an illness, I’ll agree to that._ As he turned away the lift doors opened, and they made the trek to his office in awkward silence.  
  
She flipped open one of the vibroplates on her arm to reveal a curved holopad underneath. Beside an environmental scanner was a small projector. She hit the button and it replayed the message Snoke left for her. Hux visibly blanched at the sight of Snoke’s disfigured face floating before him, and huffed at the mention of his ‘ego’.  
  
“I hope that is proof enough, General.”  
  
“I was unaware he had such little faith in us” he scoffed. “Please, take a seat. Where was Snoke hiding you? I have the manifest of every vessel we own and I know where every single one of them are- none are located in wild space.”  
  
He tried to control the scowl on his face as she summoned the datapad from his hand. _Rude._ She typed in her access code and the screen blinked from blue to gold. “You have _most_ of them. I was stationed at Spire 3 in sector 9 of wild space. Beyond the dead zone.”  
  
“But that’s…” he trailed off when she returned his datapad to him. There were at least two other spires hidden in the far reaches, and an entire fleet of star destroyers he had no knowledge of. “Why wasn’t I told of this?”  
  
“Depending on the nature of his demise and the possible fall of the First Order it was imperative to have some plans kept in complete secrecy. They’re manned with a skeleton crew, primarily droids.”  
  
“So this fleet.. you... this is his failsafe?”  
  
“We’re the last reserves of the First Order, General. We can discuss the retrieval of these ships when Kylo Ren can join us.”  
  
“Oh no, no need to bother him with that.”  
  
She furrowed her brow underneath her helmet. “Excuse me? We can’t just act like this without your Supreme Leader’s knowledge.”  
  
“He doesn’t care to deal with the military aspects, the brunt of that falls on my shoulders.”  
  
“No. No it doesn’t, it _shouldn’t_ .”  
  
_The audacity,_ he grumbled to himself. “I told you things might be different from what you expected, Solus. This is one of those things.”  
  
“Unacceptable.” She rose to her feet. “Where is he? I need to speak with him after the… the incident in the hangar.”  
  
Hux closed his eyes and sighed, reminding himself to be patient. “Fine. Have it your way. Come with me, I know where we might find him.” He lead her through the winding corridors of the lower decks, but she balked when they reached the training room doors. The fury contained behind them was palpable, seeming to seep from underneath the door to creep beneath her skin, bearing a warning to what lay ahead.  
  
“So this- he doesn’t have a throne room?”  
  
“No, he called it ‘vainglorious and excessive’, if I remember correctly. I tried to explain the importance of appearances, but it’s been made glaringly apparent that he doesn’t care.”  
  
“You don’t like him.”  
  
“He, I, ah… We have differing opinions at times, but the First Order is my top priority. I’ve dedicated my entire life to this military. I-” the buzz of his datapad distracted them, and he was grateful for the chance to shift topics. “It would appear your living area is ready, you’ll have Ren’s old quarters.”  
  
She placed her hand on the door and paused. “Actually, I’m quite tired. I’ll find him tomorrow. Would you mind escorting me, General?”  
  
“Not at all.” Kylo had taken Snoke’s old quarters on the opposite end of the ship, putting her perfectly between him and Hux. He’d wanted her somewhere closer but nothing was available. “I know it seems like I’m overly controlling, but the Supreme Leader has a lot to deal with as far as the force goes, at least, from the little I understand of it. I’m simply freeing up his time by putting this burden on myself. I don’t mind it, I enjoy it, really.”  
  
“Now that I’m here I’ll be sure to lessen that burden on you, General.” He couldn’t decide if it was a threat or a kindness, and the pair continued on in silence till they reached her new quarters.  
  
“I’ll have a stormtrooper stationed outside should you require anything.”  
  
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll send my droids out for anything I require.”  
  
“Is there any staff or anything you need us to retrieve from the spire? I note there wasn’t much cargo on the light freighter.”  
  
“No, my droids and I were the only occupants.”  
  
“Well, here you’ll have more assistance than just droids. If you-”  
  
She cut him off, the faux-friendliness starting to grate her on her nerves. No amount of smiling or attempts at kind words could soften the sharp, calculating glint in his eyes. “I will see you _tomorrow_ , General.”  
  
The doors closed behind her, and she was alone again.  
-  
  
Hux stalked back to the lift, fingers flying across his datapad. He’d made a point to keep the onboard filing system running in the background to remain logged in under her access code, granting him the same clearance Snoke had. He now had access to _everything-_ even Kylo Ren’s previously locked personnel files. He saved his away and looked for hers- frowning at the lack of information. Born on Naboo, 75 years old, force sensitive, Snoke took ‘possession’ of her at 15, human*. It was painfully obvious the files had been tampered with. There was a tiered order to every personnel file, and hers was a disjointed mess.  
  
_75? Why does human have an asterisk beside it? Why is her information edited?_ _  
_ _  
_ He downloaded any files he didn’t regularly have clearance to should he accidentally get locked out of her access tier. If he couldn’t turn her against Kylo, he could at least turn Kylo against her. It seemed she was dead set on giving the Supreme Leader _actual_ responsibilities, and if he wouldn’t shoulder them (of course he wouldn’t) they’d fall on her. Hux wondered if she was more displeased than she let on, thinking everything would be in disarray and ready for her to swoop in and steal the throne.  
  
_More like swoop in and snatch my army from me. No, if that thing wants control she can die trying._  
  
He sent the coordinates of the spire to one of his trusted officers in the hangar and sent word for the command shuttle to be prepared. As soon as his shift was over he had to make a hop to wild space.  
-  
  
After the fight Kylo returned to the training room. He pulled up the camera feed from the hangars and fed her information into the combat simulator. One of the droids came to life, stepping from its charging station in the wall, hydraulics adjusting its limbs and height to her proportions. With a flicker it projected her likeness over itself. Kylo approached slowly, as if it were _actually_ the newcomer standing before him, committing every detail to memory.  
  
When he stepped into the ring, the droid rattled off statistics. “Replication is 5’6, approximately 73.5kg, favors saber form II; Makashi, weaknesses: narrow stance, weak defensive, low blocking. Are you ready?”

“Begin.”  
  
He sparred over and over again until every muscle in his body burned and his legs shook. It wasn't till he had difficulty standing that he trudged back to his quarters. Despite the physical exhaustion, restless energy still crackled through his veins; but he was too distracted and frustrated to direct it anywhere. He ran his hands through his hair compulsively as he paced in the darkness of his room like a caged animal.  
  
In his ascetic lifestyle he generally eschewed what would be considered luxuries. He claimed they were a distraction, but the monster of self-loathing that coiled in his gut whispered that he didn’t deserve them. The only reason he took Snoke’s old living space was as a status symbol, affirming his position as Supreme Leader.  
  
He had to admit, though, that the large refresher was perfect after a rigorous day of training. It was overly ornate, decorated in Snoke’s strange fondness for gold tones. Everything was tiled in a warm, rosy marble with gold inlay, and soft, warm-hued lights projected up at the ceiling, sending a diffuse glow throughout the room. It was a far cry from the stark silver and black trim of the ship with its harsh white lighting. Rather than the small upright shower stalls it had a large walk in shower in the corner, with marble seating should he just want to sit and let the water pour over him. In the center of the room was an equally large marble bath laid into the floor. Some nights he’d fallen asleep as the jets massaged the agony from his back.  
  
_It is simply a tool for training, to help my body take more abuse. Not a luxury._  
  
He decided that a steaming hot bath was exactly what he needed, as tense as everything was. It would help him to calm down and try to figure out what to do with the new force user suddenly thrust upon him. Not just a force sensitive though, _an apprentice._ He wondered if Snoke had treated her any differently. Perhaps he’d kept her tucked away as the true successor, using Kylo as a battle axe to clear this new kingdom for her to rule at his side.  
  
A mixture of jealousy and rage rumbled at the thought. But then, maybe he was crueler with her? In case something truly _did_ end Kylo, Snoke might have created something even darker and more insidious to cut down the greater enemy.  
  
Regardless, neither of the two options bore well for him.

-

 

Solus brought four droids with her to serve as both caretakers and protection. While they lacked the personality of Niner back on the spire, they were loyal and at least fairly pleasant. With the unique circumstances of her sickness, it was important that she wasn’t entirely alone in new surroundings. She wasn’t sure if she could _ever_ trust anyone on this ship so far- Hux was too smarmy for her liking and Kylo, well… she had no idea.  
  
“Computer, lights to 30%” She wandered to the dimly lit bedroom. The quarters were large, much larger than she’d expected, but she didn’t feel like exploring. Feeling fairly defeated, she fell with a graceless thud onto the bed and removed her helmet.  
  
It felt like someone had reached into her chest and squeezed her heart with an iron fist. Despite him moving out, the scent of him was still thick in the air. It had been years since she’d been around humans, and she was almost dizzy at the onslaught on her senses.   
  
“You’ve got to get used to this. Breathe. Calm down.” She could feel the tingling at her gumline and held it back the best she could. “Center yourself. You’re stronger than this.” She crossed her legs in the middle of the bed and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply through her nose.  
  
_It’s so… it’s so much..._ It wasn’t just the scents, but being around so many people tickled at the edge of her awareness, like whispers in the distance. She hadn’t had to shut them out in so long she’d almost forgotten how.  
  
“it’s so... _loud._ Stars it’s almost _too_ loud. _”_ _  
__  
_ Solus started to panic, Snoke’s words echoing, berating her even from the grave.  
  
" _There is no place for weakness on the front lines._ _  
_ _You have no discipline- a fundamental, biological lack of self control._ _  
_ _This nature cannot be molded, you are prostrated before the whims of a sickness._ _  
_ _Such potential wasted, stored in a broken vessel._ _  
_ _There are two ends to a leash, an animal and its master. I see only an animal before me._ _  
_ _  
_ A hiccuping sob welled in her chest before the blessing of a distraction reached out from across the ship. The gravity of his despair tugged at her like a pebble dropped into a silken handkerchief; she found herself pulled towards him, but there was more to it than that… there was _light._ _  
_  
She snatched up her helmet, shoved it back on, and sprinted down the hallways. She didn’t need to know the exact location- she could feel the pull and got there as fast as she could.  
-  
  
Kylo was in the process of stripping down, left only in his black uniform pants as the water heated, still mulling all the different ways in which this situation was awful when a familiar light twinkled behind him. _Rey._ _  
_ _  
_ He didn’t turn to look at her, _couldn’t_ turn to look at her. They stood in silence for a minute before he cleared his throat to speak.  
  
“How is the bond still working?” he called out over his shoulder.  
  
“I think you know why, Ben. The force isn’t done with us. It _wants_ us together.” He hadn’t expected any kindness from her and swallowed nervously as he slowly turned around.  
  
She was just as he remembered her. Firey, determined eyes gleamed at him over sunkissed cheeks. She now donned a more traditional style of jedi robes, and bitterness rose in the back of his throat at the sight.  
  
“I see you’re dressing like Luke now, have you too come to kill me? Finish what he started?”  
  
“Don’t be like that, Ben. You know that’s not what I want."  
  
"What _do_ you want?"  
  
"I want you to come with me, to leave like you should have.”  
  
“Ah. Then why did you leave me?”  
  
“I didn’t want to, I had no choice. I know you couldn’t leave then, and now I understand.”  
  
“Is that so?” His voice stayed monotone, face an unreadable mask.  
  
“I understand now, I really do. Things were different then, but now... now things have settled... there could be a place for you here if you wanted. I could take the Falcon, alone, and meet you somewhere. Back on Takodana, perhaps.”  
  
“So that’s it? I just leave and the Resistance welcomes me with open arms?”  
  
“Ben, Snoke is gone and you’re free now, you don’t have to stay.”  
  
“Yes. Snoke is gone, and the First Order is _mine_.” She nervously fumbled with the hem of her sleeve at the malice in his tone. After Crait, where she closed the ramp in his face across the bond, the expression on his face was a myriad of emotions. She'd hoped there may be some feelings left to draw on, but the dark eyes that stared back seemed devoid of emotion and simply... dark.  
  
“Just… please. Please come find me, we can talk about this in person, we could-”  
  
_“The girl I’ve heard so much about.”_  
  
They both jumped at the vocoded voice that spoke just beyond the door. Solus stepped into the warm glow of the refresher’s soft light, her black and red form a sharp contrast to the warm colors around them.  
  
“What are you doing?” Kylo thought his nerves were about to snap, but the ridiculousness of it all left him numb.  
  
She held up one finger to silence him as she approached Rey, every step cautious, as if the young jedi were a spring-loaded trap.  
  
“Who are you? Just some wicked creature in a mask?”  
  
She moved until she stood between Rey  & Kylo, her back to him, and reached up, depressing a button on the side of her helmet. The top half of the polished visor slid up, and Rey’s attention was instantly drawn to the golden eyes staring back at her. Kylo diverted his attention to the mirror in an attempt to catch a glimpse of her face, but the steam had fogged it.  
  
“My name is Solus Tau, and you see, Rey, unfortunately I’m very sick. I want to keep the people around me safe, so I have to wear this. You know what it’s like, to care about others, don’t you Rey?” She spoke slow and soft, her voice lilting despite the mechanical filter. Her eyes didn’t leave Rey’s, and she found herself mesmerized. “It’s difficult, sometimes, when you care about someone else so much. Isn’t it, Rey?”  
  
“Yes.” her voice was a breath above a whisper, lost in the golden eyes that seemed to stare into her, making her feel safe, like they were _friendly_ eyes despite their eerie appearance. A warmth crept up into her spirit, and the melodic voice put her at ease.  
  
“I know you care about Ben- that’s why you’re trying to save him, aren’t you, Rey.”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Well perhaps I can help you, Rey, since we both care about others so much. What is this plan you have to save Ben?”  
  
“We found a Containment Field Generator on Geonosis. It’s strong enough to hold force users. We were going to catch him, keep him safe. I can bring him back to the light but he won’t let me, not yet. ”  
  
“That’s so interesting. Thank you, Rey." She smiled under her helmet, tapping the visor back into place as she stepped to the side, revealing an absolutely furious man behind her. “Is this plan to your liking, Kylo Ren?”  
  
Rey’s trancelike state broke and she was dumped back into reality. Kylo quickly closed the distance between them with long strides. glaring down at her.  “So that was your grand plan? Trick me and imprison me? My mother’s worn off on you hasn’t she. Or was this her plan all along?”  
  
“I- Ben, no, I, please- I’m trying to help you!”  
  
“Get. Away. From. Me.”  
  
Before she could say anything else Solus reached out and casually sent a volley of force lightning at the projection, sending her flying back into herself aboard the rebel ship. Finn rushed over to help her to her feet.  
  
“What the heck was that?! Are you okay??”  
  
Rey winced as he pulled her to her feet. “There’s another force user there, she zapped me like Snoke did.”  
  
“Is he going to meet us?”  
  
“No. You were right.” she turned her attention to General Organa, standing in the doorway of the room she’d stepped into to find him across the bond. “The other one, it hypnotized me or something… she found out about everything.”  
  
“Did they seem strong? Do you think Kylo Ren has taken his own apprentice?” She refused to use her son’s name. Rey told them about the force bond after Crait, wanting to come clean about everything and hoping that maybe Leia might have some knowledge of how to sever it… but to no avail. Rey came up with the plan when they found the containment device, and Leia begrudgingly agreed to give her a chance to pull it off. She couldn’t help but let that flicker of hope grow any time there was a chance that it seemed Ben could be saved, but yet again she had to endure the pain of that hope being snuffed out.  
  
“I don’t know, he didn’t seem to like her. I think it’s a her. She said her name is Solus Tau? I’m sorry, I made a mess of everything.”  
  
Leia shook her head. “The name isn’t familiar, but I’ll look into it.”  
  
Finn put his arm around her shoulders. “Hey, you did great, don’t look so down.”  
  
“It was so confusing- I have no idea where they were- everything was _different._ Lots of marble and gold and water.”  
  
Poe was leaning up against the opposite wall, lost in thought. He’d demanded to be present when she had a force-bond session, secretly hoping that Kylo might actually be visible and solid enough to land a well-deserved punch.  
  
“They could be planetside. I’ll check with the scouts to see if any star destroyers have been seen orbiting planets. That’s when they’re the most vulnerable.” _And most punchable_ , but he kept that thought to himself.  
  
Rey put her hands on the side of her head and let out a huge sigh of frustration. “I just want to sit down and have a snack, to be honest, this has all been awful.”  
  
Finn put a hand at her lower back and guided her out the door. “Let’s go then, the hallway smelled like roasted Porg around lunch time so I bet they have something tasty cooked up!”  
  
“Finn that’s horrible!” she swatted at him playfully “Don’t let Chewie hear you make those jokes, he still feels guilty about his dinner on Ach-to.”  
  
Leia smiled softly as she watched the pair walk down the hallway.  
  
Poe walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. “You worry about her too much, you know.”  
  
“She’s never had anyone worry about her, I feel like she deserves at least that much. You’d think she’d been with the Resistance her whole life the way she puts herself out there for us time and time again.”  
  
“Yeah well maybe she has been. The Resistance lives here.” he tapped over his heart. “And her surviving all that she went through on Jakku to still come out so kind and so strong… well, if that isn’t Resistance I don’t know what is.”  
-  
  
The pair stood in silence, Kylo staring at the empty space where Rey had just stood, trying to process what he’d just witnessed.  
  
“I’m sorry to interrupt, I’ll leave you now.”  
  
“How did you do that?”  
  
“It’s just a skill. I heard part of the conversation and I could feel her lying.”  
  
“Is that why you called me Ben? Because she did?”  
  
“Yes, but I do know your old name. Snoke told me.”  
  
“And what else did he tell you?” Kylo approached her slowly, his fingers twitching to reach for the saber that was across his quarters in the bedroom.  
  
“Everything. You were born on Chandrila, trained under Skywalker, have a gorgeous hand at calligraphy, and insist on keeping your hair well past the length of regulation. He also said you exceed me in every way, succeeding where I had failed him. I was to stay far away to spare you from my ruin.”  
  
He stopped a few feet away from her, muscles in his jaw flexing as he mulled her words. “Then why are you here?”  
  
“Snoke is dead. You and I, we have no ruler. The First Order is ours.”  
  
“The First Order is _mine.”_  
  
She tilted her head to the side. “Is it?” there was a beat of silence before she continued, nodding her head towards him. “Both times we’ve met now it’s been in strange circumstances. I’m here to help you, if you’ll let me. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day.” Even though she shouldn’t, she reached out and softly touched his upper arm, and he flinched at the contact. “Goodnight, Kylo Ren.”  
  
He said nothing and stood in place until he heard the sound of the main doors close. He suddenly felt too weak to stand, struggling out of his clothes to collapse into the circular tub. The water was almost too hot, but it soothed him as he sunk down into the bubbling jets, head lolling back to rest on the slightly raised ledge.  
  
_Grandfather, I need your strength now more than ever._  
  
There was no malice in whatever it was that had crept out from the wilderness. There was an eerie stillness to her, like a tidepool of calm amidst the rapids. He wondered what illness she spoke of, tucking it away in his mind as a weakness should she ever give him reason to call on it. The warmth combined with the calming sound of the churning water eased the tension away, and the tiredness of the day crept up from the depths, lulling him to sleep. After about an hour the timer had cut off and the bubbling ceased, cooling air waking him.  
  
He toweled off and slipped into a silken pair of night pants, trudging to a bed so large even someone with his frame had room to splay across it comfortably. Kylo stared up at the ceiling, replaying the events of the day in his head. Just when it seemed more things couldn’t go more wrong, they did. It felt like yet another brick had been placed on the pile already crushing his chest. As he closed his eyes, walking the strange land between sleep and consciousness, a soft presence he hadn’t felt in some time whispered through his mind.  
  
_This is going to make you stronger. You’re doing wonderfully. Have faith in yourself._  
  
He let himself believe in the words, the warmth covering over him like a blanket. It was less voice and more feeling- he couldn’t quite explain _what_ exactly it was, but through some of his darkest nights and hardest times it would come through the ether. Kylo wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t just a dream, but during the more vivid horrors he’d faced he could almost hear it- as real as a voice just over his shoulder. Sometimes the presence was so strong he’d unfurl himself from huddling under the covers, peeking out from under them, expecting to see someone lying beside him or standing over him.  
  
He’d almost thought it was Rey, but he’d been experiencing it long before he’d met her. The last time he’d felt it was as he laid on his back in the snow, feeling the ground of Starkiller shaking beneath him. It told him he wasn’t going to die, that he wasn’t done yet.  
  
It was right then, and maybe it was right now. The thought consoled him as he drifted off to sleep.  
-

  
In her rush to get to him, she realized she hadn’t paid any attention to the way she took to get there. It took her a moment to find a trooper and sheepishly ask them to lead her back. She wouldn’t call the evening a total loss, but was a little disheartened that Kylo still seemed so suspicious of her. If Snoke had trained him the same way he’d trained her, she couldn’t really blame him. She was grateful to finally remove her armor and crawl into bed. The mattress was much more comfortable than the cot she was used to on the Spire, and she sighed happily at the feeling of her body sinking into the softness.  
  
The new scents were still distracting, but with every breath she got more and more acclimated to them, her body finally settling down to rest. A stab of sadness pricked at her mind and she focused, following it to Kylo. Despite Snoke’s orders, when things were truly bad, she would do her best to gently soothe him through the force, reaching out across the darkness so he at least wouldn’t feel alone. Solus whispered to him like she used to on the Spire, and could feel some of the worry dissipate. She never knew how much he could hear or feel, or really how he experienced it at all, but she knew it helped at least a little.  
-  
  
Hux was stifling a yawn when the command shuttle docked at the Spire. The lack of patrol ships and other signs of usual activity was unsettling. Everything seemed so _dead_ out here. He entered his access code and was infuriated when it was denied. A droid patched into the comm systems and Hux did everything he could to be patient.  
  
“This is Niner of Spire 3, according to this code you are General Hux?”  
  
“That is correct, droid. We are here on behalf of Solus Tau.”  
  
“Oh stars is she alright?”  
  
“I’m retrieving a few things for her, she would have come herself, but her… _affliction,_ is causing issues.”  
  
“Gone not even a day and already something. Alright, I’m granting you entry, I’ll meet you in the landing bay.”  
  
It was a small, fairly dark hangar. There were a few TIE fighters along the walls and a handful of odd transports, but the lack of officers and sparse supplies made it appear to be abandoned. Hux brought Phasma and two other guards with him, wanting to keep this as off the record as possible.  
  
The droid popped through the door, clearly acting outside of its programming.  
  
“General Hux, it’s so lovely to meet you. What happened to her this time? I was concerned that I haven’t heard anything.”  
  
“It’s a few things, actually, her personnel file has been altered, nothing more than a glitch I’m sure. We’ve been looking into treatments for her, but need more information.”  
  
“That’s excellent! Follow me. Our humble little spire isn’t too terribly large, so this won’t take long, I assure you. What items did she request?”  
  
“Oh, ah, some personal effects she left behind. I’ll know what she was talking about when I see it.”  
  
It was a short walk to one of the control rooms. Hux had already gone over the schematics of the place and noted it was a design that he himself had suggested years ago to his father. He intended it to be used as a type of easily moveable way station deployed near combat situations, sparing the need for a full retreat to a Star Destroyer and keeping the much larger and more valuable ships away from danger. His father shot the idea down as “frivolous and unnecessary.” Apparently Snoke didn’t think so.  
  
After a few keystrokes the droid presented him with a data spike. “There you go! This is a full data backup of everything that’s on the spire’s system. It should have everything you need. I’m glad to hear that Snoke had scientists studying the alkyra virus, a cure would mean the world to her, it’s just terrible how she’s suffered.”  
  
Hux grinned. “Indeed it is, it’s just _terrible._ Oh, hold still a moment, there seems to be something loose right- wait, turn around for a moment.”  
  
The droid obliged with a laugh, “Oh General, I’m afraid my backside isn’t my finest fea… t… ure…” In one quick motion he popped the access panel and snatched the wiring to the power converter. He removed the processing chip and dropped it to the ground, grinding it under his heel.  
  
“What virus was he referring to, sir?”  
  
“I don’t know, Phasma, but we’ll soon find out.” He couldn’t keep the smirk from his face as they returned to the command shuttle. He inserted the data spike into the service hub on the ship and uploaded everything to a spare datapad. He reclined with his legs crossed, laid out on one of the trooper benches set in the back wall of the cockpit.  
  
“Tell me, new friend, what seems to be the matter with you?” he mumbled to himself as he tapped on her name. His eyes widened as he read, a strategy already beginning to take shape.  
  
Phasma yawned under her helmet. “Well? Was it worth the midnight excursion?”  
  
He crinkled his nose as smug little cackle escaped his lips. “Oh, she’s going to have no choice but to be on our side. With _this_ ,” he wiggled the datapad, “she won’t have any other option _but_ to be.”  
-  
  
Kylo scowled to see that Solus was already waiting for him in the training room, rhythmically going through the motions of combat form sets. She hadn’t heard the doors open and he stopped just past the doorway, observing the way she moved. She left the armor, and was wearing a black tunic over a woven black bodysuit, the same strange chainmail around her neck that rose up to meet the edge of her helmet.  
  
She spun around and stopped when she saw him, almost falling over.  
  
“Have you been waiting long?”  
  
“Not terribly.” It was a lie- unsure of his schedule, she’d gotten there at 0600 to wait on him. It was now 0900.  
  
They walked towards each other, both stopping a few feet apart in the center of the huge room.  
  
“Take off your mask.” He’d been mulling over the situation and decided that if they were going to work together he had to at least know what she looked like.  
  
“I can’t, my sickness… I wasn’t lying when I spoke to the girl.”  
  
The mention of Rey sent a flare of irritation through his chest. He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes he stared at the smoked glass visor. “If you’re so unwell, why are you here? What exactly is it you suffer from?”  
  
“I, ah... well…” She struggled to find a way to tell him _without_ telling him. “Essentially it’s hypersensitivity, direct contact with the world around me is, well, almost overwhelming”  
  
“That sounds like an incredibly crippling weakness.”  
  
“It’s not that simple.”  
  
“Isn’t it?”  
  
“Fine.” She’d slept in his old quarters, and told herself that she could handle this. Those years of training weren’t for nothing.  
  
Solus took a deep breath before depressing the two buttons on the side. The first slid the glass out and up, exposing only her eyes, and the second pushed the respirator from her face, depressurizing with a hiss. He’d half expected some kind of maimed monster beneath, but aside from the unnaturally yellow irises he found himself looking at a rather plain woman. 4 braids on each side were pinned back to hold short blonde hair from her face, and thin lips curved into a frown. She exhaled slowly, and willed herself to breathe in.   
  
He smelled kriffing divine.  
  
The virus came alight like a fire in her veins, burning her skin as if it were clawing towards him from the inside out. Her helmet fell to the ground as both hands shot up to cover her face, a high-pitched squeak escaping from between her fingers.  
  
_Control yourself. Breathe. Focus. Don’t be afraid, you can do this, you have to do this._  
  
She started to fall to her knees but he rushed forward to catch her, which was infinitely worse. _It’s him, though, after all this time, it’s actually him. You’re strong enough. You’ll be fine._ She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his tunic. She was trembling and her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and the only phrase he could make out was the repetition of  “ _It’s alright just breathe._ ” like a mantra. He felt a twinge of guilt for pushing her, and the display only served to puzzle him even more.  
  
“I’m…" he swallowed awkwardly "I, um, shouldn’t have asked that of you.”  
  
She said nothing and simply clung to him. He had to admit it felt nice to have someone against him, and let his hands slide from her shoulders to her back, one hand awkwardly patting in her in an attempt at consolation. The small voice of self-loathing reared itself in the back of his mind, berating himself for being so touch-starved that he’d clutch a potential enemy. _No. An ally. Here to help._ _This can be good, have faith._  
  
A crisp accent shattered the moment as Hux strode through the doors.  
  
“Good morning Supreme Leader, sorry to, ah,  _disturb_ you.”  
  
She summoned her helmet and hastily shoved it back on, managing to hide her face from the General.  
  
Hux was in an overly chipper demeanor, and if Kylo wasn’t so distracted he would have found it cheery enough to be concerning.  
  
“General Hux. It’s come to our attention that there is a particular shielding unit the Resistance has _scavenged_ from Geonosis. While it’s old, it’s technology that has been lost for some time. I personally would like to go to the planet’s surface to see what we can find. I will take Solus with me. Perhaps she’ll prove herself, it’s rumored that Resistance have been in the area.” Kylo not only wanted to study the technology to ensure they didn’t have one up on him, but he hoped there might be some fighters for him to take his frustrations out on. They would suffer for the audacity of attempting to trap him.  
  
“Excellent, we’re already in fairly close proximity to the Arkanis sector, so Geonosis won’t be a terribly far trip. It’s my understanding that the abandoned mines there still have viable ore, so it would be doubly worth our time doing some reconnaissance there. I’ll arrange to send some trooper transports down with you to the planet’s surface.”  
  
Hux reached out his hand toward Solus “I wanted to say how lovely it was to spend time with you yesterday” She stared at him, unmoving “Oh dear, almost forgot, _I’m_ not supposed to touch you.” He managed a tightlipped smile before turning to leave.  
  
Kylo looked down at her quizzically at the strange comment.  
  
“He tried to put a hand on my shoulder and I told him he’s not to touch me. He’s trying very hard to get on my good side, likely to pit us against each other. Snoke warned me about him, said in a way he’s the most dangerous thing on this ship- the bite you least expect.”  
  
Kylo scoffed “I’d hardly call him _dangerous._ He’s arrogant and self-centered. As long as he has a project to focus on he’s fairly harmless- it’s why I’m dragging out the approval on his new Starkiller. Eventually he’ll have to rush to the get Supremacy decently repaired so he can begin on his new toy.”  
  
“Something about him is… I don’t know. Unsettling.”  
  
“At least he has the mines to keep him occupied while we search Geonosis.” He reached up and gently set a hand on her shoulder, feeling a little pleased when she didn’t brush him away. “Are you up for going? You don’t have to if you’re not ready.”  
  
“I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully some Resistance fighters stayed behind- I haven’t tried my hand in true combat in a long time.”  
  
“I’ll meet you in the hangar in two hours, I need to prepare.” He left without saying another word, and allowed himself to feel a spark of hope that perhaps he might finally have someone that genuinely wanted to work _with_ him.  
-  
  
It had been so long, _too long,_ Hux lamented, since he’d put his sniper rifle to use. It was a specialized model made specifically for assassinations, equipped with a physical projectile system alongside the typical blaster bolt mechanism. He loaded one of the specialized bullets he’d made into the chamber and scanned the hangar. Even with his precision, it was going to be a difficult shot to make. He was tucked away on a platform adjoined to one of the maintenance shafts for the TIE repair lift, a large hydraulic arm that moved damaged crafts to repairs. It had an unobstructed view of the ramp to the command shuttle they were taking planetside. Phasma had ensured that there was an ‘electrical problem’ with that particular arm and it was out of commission, as well as the lights in the surrounding area. Now all he had to do was wait.  
  
He sighed in the dark corner, the muscles in his thighs beginning to ache from his crouched position behind the railing.

  
_Ren is late to everything, I should have accounted for that and had a kriffing caf break before I came up here._  
  
Finally, the pair emerged with her trailing behind.  
  
Hux licked his lips and brought his rifle forward, grateful that the burnished red of her armor provided a decent contrast. The bullet was a soft metal with a quicksilver core, so he had to aim just between the plating. He breathed in deeply, and depressed the trigger in time with a measured exhale. He waited just long enough to see that he’d made his mark before dipping into the maintenance shaft. He slid his rifle into a garbage chute, where Phasma had a loyal trooper waiting to retrieve it and return it to his quarters. The General knew that his life depended on the secrecy.  
  
Solus felt a pinch between the plates on her back and rolled her shoulder absentmindedly at the sensation. It was about ten steps in that her veins lit up with the fire of a thousand suns. She clawed at her shoulder, shouting expletives in every language she knew. Kylo turned and looked down at her, confused as to what exactly was happening. The more she moved, the softer the bullet became, dissolving into her and sending more of the poisonous metal into her system. It nicked an artery and the force of it pounded through her with every heartbeat.  
  
She collapsed, writhing on the floor, back arched, screaming so loud her vocoder couldn’t pick it up, crackling at the noise. He rushed to her side and tried to reach out, but all he could feel through the force was an agony so consuming it was incoherent.  
  
“Bullet... lightsaber... burn it out…” He thought he understood what she was asking, but he wasn’t about to run her through.  
  
The sickness writhed inside her to escape the metal oozing into her system and a gush of blood poured forth into her helmet. She punched both the release buttons and yanked it from her head just in time to choke up another spatter of red across the hangar floor. With much effort she rolled onto her hands and knees and grabbed her own saber, aligning it with where the burn was the strongest, and pressed the activation switch.  
  
A crimson blade shot between two armored plates, and a silvery sizzle of metal droplets evaporated into the air with it. She deactivated the saber and fell forward, collapsing into a pool of her own blood.  
  
Kylo was frozen in shock, horrified at the scene laid out before him. Everything happened so fast. He knelt down beside her and rolled her onto her back, her eyes blinking lazily up at him. Her mouth moved like she was trying to speak, but didn’t have the breath for words. There was a beeping noise, an alarm from the computer underneath her left gauntlet. He pried it open, but didn’t understand what any of the readings meant.  
  
Two of her droids rushed into the hangar and he assumed the system must have been something that summoned them.  
  
“We will take her from her, Supreme Leader.”  
  
“What happened to her?”  
  
One of them cocked their head to the side. “Did you not silver her, Supreme Leader?”  
  
“Did I _what?_ ”  
  
“Silver; Seolfar; Argentum; ChemSym Ag;subject displays adverse physical reaction with external contact, ingestion causes extreme discomfort, vomiting, disorientation, followed by paralysis until it has been sufficiently ionized. We will return her to her quarters until it has been processed.”  
  
“She needs to go to the medical bay, she-” he drifted off when he looked down to see that the saber wound had already begun to heal.  
  
“There is no cure for silver-sickness, Supreme Leader. We are equipped to expedite the processing, your medical bay is unnecessary.” A droid reached under each arm and lifted her upright, dragging her unceremoniously from the hangar. He stayed kneeling in her blood, confused as to what exactly just transpired.  
  
Hux stepped off the lift just as the droids approached with her slung in between them.  
  
“Oh _dear_ , what a mess. I _do_ hope she’s alright.” He reached down and lifted her chin, smiling as her eyes struggled to focus on his face. “I’ll come by and check on you later, sweet creature.”  
  
Hux entered the hangar to see Kylo holding her helmet and saber out in front of him.  
  
_Whatever disease she has I’m now covered in. Great._  
  
“Supreme Leader, is everything alright? I only just now received your message regarding your departure and I came down to ensure that a proper amount of stormtroopers had been gathered. I passed your, ah, companion on my way down here. She doesn’t look well.” Hux used every ounce of his willpower to swallow the smugness inside of him. He hadn’t intended to go to the hangar at all, but he just couldn’t help himself.  
  
Not wanting to be the only one at risk, Kylo shoved the helmet at him. “Here. See that this is cleaned and returned to her. I need to go to the medical bay to ensure I haven’t been infected. I suppose you should do the same. Send me every security feed that covers this hangar. Something happened to her, and I need to know what.”  
  
A smirk pricked the corner of his mouth as he watched Kylo stomp off. _Perfect._  
  
Hux snuck the helmet into his quarters, sipping on a well-deserved glass of whiskey as he reverently wiped away the blood with a damp towel. He felt strange doing it, but after living the past few years under Kylo’s boot heel he wanted to relish every little scrap of this victory over a force sensitive. The respirator was absolutely saturated and likely ruined. He sighed, setting it down on his desk, staring at it as if it were staring back.  
  
“What a cruel turn of events.” he addressed the helmet, clearing the remaining liquor from his glass and reaching over to pour another. “A toast, to the absolute cunning of Armitage Hux- forever may he reign.” He tinked the glass against the lifted visor, emptying it in one deep pull. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go have a few words with your maker.”  
  
He’d never think to drink while on shift, but then again he found himself doing a _lot_ of unexpected things as of late.  
  
Hux entered his override code and dipped in before he was seen. It was almost pitch black, save the light of a lamp in the bedroom. He crept to the door frame to see her laid out on the bed like a porcelain doll. The droids had cleaned the blood and dressed her in underclothes and a black silken robe.  
  
“Solus Tau, is this the sickness you spoke of?” On a man like him, the soft sweetness to his voice was chilling.  
  
She turned her head at the sound, limbs barely able to move as she struggled to push herself upright.  
  
“Shh, stay put. No need to tire yourself on my accord.” He snapped his head to the droids, “Leave us. We require privacy.” They shuffled out of the room to wait in the entryway. He sauntered over to the side of the bed, looking entirely too pleased with himself as he set the helmet down on her nightstand.  
  
“I don’t know why you wear that helmet, you look wonderful for your age, about what, 30? That’s when it happened, isn't it?” He removed his gloves slowly, tugging one finger at a time as his eyes grazed her form. “Tell me, is it that men just can’t control themselves when they see you, or is it that _you_ can’t control _yourself?_ ”  
  
He reached towards her face with his ungloved hand and she turned away, wincing. “ _Don’t”_ the word came out as a sigh, the paralysis still making it difficult for her to speak.  
  
“Hmm.” He removed his greatcoat, folding it and setting it on the nightstand before sitting down on the bed beside her. He gently moved her face towards him, running the pad of his thumb along her lower lip.  
  
“Why not? I already know what you are. Show me.”  
  
She narrowed her eyes, a slight growl intermingled with a sharp exhale. The scent of him so close was overwhelming, like air after a lightning strike intermingled with the tea he drank so religiously... and the sweet malt of Spirulean whiskey.  
  
“From now on, when I tell you to do something, you are going to _do it._ ” he growled, retrieving a silver bullet from his pocket and relishing the whimper as he pressed it against her cheek. “I said _show me.”_ _  
__  
_ Her face contorted in pain, and two sharp fangs slid down from her upper teeth over the outer incisors, crimson blossoming into her irises till they were red.  
  
“Ahh, see? _There_ you are.” He ran his thumb down a fang, shoving upwards against one of the ivory points. A rivulet of blood trickled down and her pupils doubled in size. He shoved his thumb into her mouth, smearing blood across her tongue, dragging a crimson streak across her bottom lip.  
  
“Nothing happens on this ship without me knowing. _Nothing._ You couldn’t keep your secret from me… but I’ll be willing to keep it from Ren. I don’t think he’d be too thrilled to know that he’s working alongside something that wants to _eat_ him.”  
  
She stared up at him helplessly. In this state even her grip on the force was weak, as if it was limp and too heavy to move. He flicked her robe open, watching the welts rise up as he idly trailed the bullet across her skin.  
  
“No… he wouldn’t like that at _all._ ” he mused aloud. “ He might send you back out to your spire…  maybe keep you chained up in the cells below… or simply execute you on the spot… who’s to say with a man like him. Luckily for you I’m a man of my word, and all that I ask is that you work _with_ me rather than against me, and I’ll keep this between us.”  
  
Hux leant down, his lips barely brushing against her ear as he whispered, “And if you tell him, the _next_ time I put a bullet in you it’ll be a kill shot.” He rose and slipped back into his greatcoat, “Just something to think about.” he purred before leaving.  
  
There was a glimmer in the corner of her eye, and she turned to see that he’d left the silver bullet on the nightstand.  
  
It had been a little over 5 years since the last time she drank from anything living, and all of that had just been ruined. Something deep in her cried out for more, surging so intensely in her chest that it hurt. It was that uncontrollable hunger that caused her to accidentally kill a senator on Nar Shadda, the event that lead to her imprisonment and torture in wild space.  
  
When Kylo came to see her she couldn’t even look at him.  
  
“I need you to tell me what’s wrong with you. The medical bay said I was fine but there was something in your blood they couldn’t pinpoint. I don’t know... what they said didn’t really make sense.” He approached the bed, but stood on the opposite side from her.  
  
A tear rolled down her cheek and she looked away. She was actually afraid of Hux- not of him physically, but that he had the ability to take all of this away from her. After years of waiting, it felt like everything that was about to come together had already started to fall apart.  
  
The sadness that emanated from her ran so deeply that Kylo almost had to reach out and steady himself at the pull of it. It was so easy for him to forget that there was a living, breathing, _feeling_ thing beneath everything she wore. To see so much of her at once was like seeing a completely different person, and it was hard for his mind to connect that the two were the same.  
  
She managed to push herself to the side to face him and whispered a fractured sentence in sighs. “ _I’ll-tell-you… I-just… need-a-moment…”_  
  
He sat down on the bed, finding he didn’t want to leave quite yet. “I can wait.”  
  
_“Alright.”_ She closed her eyes and after a moment the soft, rhythmic breathing told him she’d fallen asleep. He huffed, his impatience wanting an answer _now_. He thunked his boots up onto the bed and crossed his arms, leaning back against the headboard, deciding to wait should she come back to. He only meant to close his eyes for a moment, but exhaustion caught up with him.  
  
Kylo didn’t know how long he’d been asleep. His eyes lazily blinked open, and for a second he wondered why he was still in his old quarters before he remembered what brought him there. His body went rigid and he looked down to see a blonde woman in his arms, snuggled up to his chest. He almost panicked, but there was a warmth to her that was more than physical; in fact, it was reminiscent of the soothing aura that would sometimes whisper to him at nights. He wondered if maybe it was trying to tell him something, and despite his initial urge to jump up and leave, he left his arm draped over her.  
  
He told himself it was because she needed more rest and he didn’t want to disturb her that he stayed in place, laying his head back on the pillow and closing his eyes.  
  
_It’s taking care of an ally, not a luxury._  
-


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't totally sure on continuing Space Vampires, but I personally am a fan of the idea. 
> 
> I am very pro vampires in everything, lol. I have the idea for 2 more chapters bouncing around in my head :) May continue this on. 
> 
> Sorry if there's any mistakes, I kind of just sat down and typed this all out in one go.
> 
> Comments & (kind) criticism is welcome and encouraged :)

Solus slowly blinked awake. She was warm, comfortable… and inches away from the quilted chest of Kylo Ren. She gasped and froze; his arm around her waist, soft breathing telling her he was still lost in the depths of sleep. Recovered from the General’s silver poisoning, her skin tingled at the closeness, every beat of his heart a cadence that called out, whispering to come closer.    
  
_ No. You’ll never do that to him. Never.  _   
  
She slowly moved away, pausing at the door to to simply observe him. She could see the purpling crescents of fatigue under his eyes, plush lips frowning even in his sleep. She retrieved one of the blankets she’d brought from the spire and gently pulled it over him, then left to dress in the entry room of her quarters so he could continue to rest.   
  
After the hiss of her spare helmet sealed to its gasket, she gave her droids order to leave him be and took off into the corridor. 

 

There was someone she had to see.   
  
Hux was debriefing one of his lieutenants when the dark figure stormed into his office unannounced. He knew there would be repercussions to his actions and had taken measures to ensure that his threat of blackmail stood firm. Doing his best to appear calm and collected, he folded his hands in front of him on his desk and sighed.   
  
“Lietnenant Geran, leave us. Solus Tau and I have matters to discuss.”    
  
Her hand snapped out from beneath her robes, stilling him. “No. Stay.”   
  
She removed her mask, setting it on the General’s desk with a heavy thunk. The virus screamed through her veins, a slight tremble to her hand as she fought for control. The recovery from the silver left her weakened, and very,  _ very _ hungry.   
  
“Before you go any further, Solus,  _ do _ recall our discussion yesterday. I think it should go without saying that I’ve taken measures to ensure that, shall we say, ‘concerned parties’, will be made privy to certain facts should perhaps, oh, I don’t know, some feral animal eat me alive.”   
  
“Snoke was right about you. I’m impressed. You’re cunning but your arrogance has made you foolish, as I have heard it has done many times. For someone so intelligent, it’s unfortunate that you learn so slowly.”   
  
He flushed in embarrassment, glancing up at the Lieutenant to see he was slightly amused by the statement. Hux narrowed his eyes, looking back to Solus. “Tsk-tsk, you and your mouth. It’s going to get you into trouble one day, isn’t it?”   
  
“Mm. Perhaps. What was it you said? A “feral animal”? If you knew the animal in me you might show more respect, General. Don’t you think?”   
  
He visibly blanched at the end of her sentence, shrinking back slightly.  _ She wouldn’t dare… stars no… or would she? Maybe Ren is already dead and I’m next? Come to think of it I should have seen him lurking by now.  _ _   
_ _   
_ She moved her attention to the nervous man beside her. “Lieutenant Geran, was it?”   
  
“Y-yes, ma’am, yes Solus, ma’am.” He didn’t want to be involved in any of it and wasn’t entirely sure what to call her.    
  
“General Hux, as I know you for what you are- you will now know me. Lieutenant, thank you for your service. ” A deep breath brought with it the pheromones of fear; it was like dropping coaxium into a hyperdrive. The virus rushed to her eyes, irises and pupils disappearing under a veil of red. It saw for her, transmitting the world around her into infrared.    
  
Solus moved unnaturally fast;  grabbing him by the shoulders, slamming him onto the General’s desk and straddling him in one smooth motion. He only had time to yelp before her bite sunk into the side of his neck, razor sharp teeth cutting like a hot knife through butter. It had been five years since she’d fed on anything other than synthetics, and it showed. It wasn’t just a bite- she ripped through flesh with a twist of her head, blood gushing from the torn cartoid artery. Crimson pooled beneath the gasping man, spreading  across the metal desk and dripping onto the General’s boot.    
  
Synthesized nutrients, lab-created building blocks of what she needed to survive, merely kept the virus satiated. When Snoke first told her she would never be allowed to feed on the living again she thought she was going to go insane. Hunger haunted her every waking moment, and it took months of practice (and punishment) to take control of the sickness. At one point in the depths of her madness, she even wondered what Snoke would taste like as she knelt before him, twitching and shaking as she struggled to maintain control of herself.  When Hux pressed his blood into her mouth, it awoke that part of her again.    
  
_ Hux.  _ _   
_ _   
_ She took one last pull on the dead man pinned to the desk before releasing her bite, turning her blood-stained face to see how he took her display. Hux wanted to scream, vomit, and shoot her all at the same time, but all he could manage to do was press himself back into his chair and watch in horror.    
  
She caught her breath and her vision returned, the virus sinking back like a contented cat in her chest. She hadn’t felt this good in  _ ages. _ She slipped off the desk, stepping to loom over Hux.   
  
_ This is a power play, stay calm, what you do next is important.  _ Between juggling Snoke & Kylo for years, he’d developed an autopilot mode of faux-confidence and snark. Still focused on the now cooling corpse on his desk, he slowly opened a desk drawer and procured a handkerchief, holding it out to the figure beside him, refusing to look at her.    
  
“You’re absolutely disgusting.”    
  
She accepted the offering and wiped what she could from her face, tossing the stained cloth back at him before retrieving her mask. The voice that replied was distorted by the vocoder again.    
  
“I don’t know how you came across this information, but I feel safe in knowing that it  _ will _ stay between us.” He said nothing, still refusing to look at her. He sat motionless even after she left. It wasn’t until the shock and disgust ran through his body that he moved, snatching up the small trash can by his desk and vomiting up the tea and pastry he’d had for breakfast.   
  
After regaining his composure he sent for troopers to come clean up the mess.  The only good thing about force users was that he didn’t have to really explain how any of this happened. The mystical pull of the force only they were privy to left them little need to feel they should give answers to their violent behavior. For once, he appreciated that.   
-   
  
The sounds of running water woke Kylo from his sleep. It took him a moment to realize where he was and why he was there. He was embarrassed to see that she was already gone, and had therefore caught him sleeping beside her.  He hoped they’d at least changed positions by the time she awoke.   
  
_ Well if she was my enemy, that was the perfect change to eliminate me.  _ Instead she’d covered him with a (very non-regulation) fluffy red blanket and set a glass of water on the side table.    
  
She’d just finished cleaning the last of the blood from her face when she turned to see him standing outside the refresher door.    
  
“Stars! I, ah, sorry to wake you, sir. Let me just-” She went to walk past him, reaching for the mask she’d left sitting on the table just behind him.    
  
He grabbed her wrist as she passed, stopping her. “Do you have to wear that around me?” Satiated from feeding on the unlucky lieutenant, she found that she could almost function normally- the response to his touch a lazy flicker of interest, but nowhere near the starving panic of the other day.   
  
“I… I suppose, no, if you don’t want me to.”   
  
“I don’t. Now tell me what happened yesterday. You passed out mid sentence, and I, it would seem, accidentally fell asleep. I wasn’t going to leave until I had an answer. ”    
  
_ There that should cover it. _   
  
“You haven’t been sleeping well lately.”   
  
“This isn’t about me.”   
  
“I’m highly allergic to certain metals, I suppose something in the hangar broke loose and managed to pierce my armor. I had a reaction.”   
  
Kylo huffed at the ridiculousness of the explanation. “So you’re telling me a bolt or a screw not only had the velocity to puncture your armorweave, but paralyzed you.”   
  
“Unless someone shot me with something, yes.” She spoke quickly, hoping to change the subject. “ The fact remains that we still need to go to Geonosis and time is of the essence. If we can acquire the technology we may be able to find a way to reverse engineer it and we can catch a force user of our own. I apologize for the delay.” She looked away, golden eyes falling to the floor. “ Snoke warned that my weaknesses would be a hindrance and I am sorry to prove him right.”   
  
The mention of Rey was enough to distract him, and he decided that her answers were sufficient for the moment. She was right, it was imperative that they got down to the planet. The expression on her face reminded him of himself- of the doubt and feelings of never being good enough that their horrible leader instilled in him. Kylo found himself wanting to comfort her.    
  
“Snoke was wrong about a lot of things. Perhaps you’ll prove him wrong planetside.” He felt sheepish enough for falling sleep in the same bed as her, and his awkward attempt at being kind just made him feel even stranger. He turned on heel and left without another word, trying to center himself in his mind as he returned to his quarters. 

 

He had to admit, though, that he hadn’t felt so well rested in quite some time.    
- **  
** **  
** They’d moved the Finalizer near Geonosis, though not in orbit, should they tip their hand to any possible rebels on the planet. It was a thirty minute trip which was made in relative silence. Solus & Kylo sat on the Command Shuttle across from each other. He had so many questions but didn’t want to make it obvious how little he knew about her. It was an irritating game, something that was more Hux’s forte than his. He cleared his throat, and did his best to sound disinterested.    
  
“You call yourself Master of the Knights of Tau. Will they be joining us?”   
  
“No...I suspect your knights met with the same fate as mine.”   
  
Snoke’s punishments were less reprimands and more artistic displays of cruelty. She was not the only one that suffered for her failure. He forced her to kill them the same way the senator died, though not out of desperation to heal herself. As he starved her he’d send them to her, one by one, till she couldn’t take it anymore and gave in to the hunger.    
  
“I was to retrieve an important senator from Nar Shadda. I did not. My knights paid the price for my failure.”   
  
Kylo had failed one too many times in retrieving pieces of the map that lead to Skywalker. When a mission gone wrong forced him to decide between saving the life of one of his knights or saving someone that had seen a piece of the map, he chose his knight. He chose poorly. Snoke was furious, decided that they were more of a hindrance than a help, and demanded that the lives of own men be taken by his hand. They’d followed him from the Jedi Academy, many he’d grown up with, and it was a difficult task. Unsettled by her answer, he said nothing; mind replaying how he killed them one by one.    
  
Kylo’s lips moved as if he were going to speak, but swallowed back the words. After a moment he  rose and sat beside her on the bench, voice low so that no one around would hear. The disappearance of his knights was a mystery to the rest of the crew, and a vague reference to their return was something that he liked to use as a threat now and again.    
  
“Snoke believed I was using them as a crutch, so he told me to destroy them. I did.”   
  
“It seems Snoke enjoyed torturing both of us.”   
  
Before he could respond there was a small lurch, indicating the shuttle dropped out of  hyperspace. Geonosis filled the viewscreen,;an unforgiving planet of swirling orange sands.   
  
“Supreme leader, the scouter shuttle doesn’t report any life signs, though there are small aberrations in the radar sweeps. Possibly large local wildlife. No rebel ships have been sighted.”   
  
“Doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Take us down, but not too close. When I give the signal, drop the stormtrooper transports nearby.”   
  
“Yes sir.”   
  
  
  
  
  
  
In actuality, there was very  _ much _ rebel activity on the planet. Their cargo haulers (and the Falcon) were hidden in the depths of one of the many deep canyons that spanned the surface of the planet. That, combined with Hux’s intentional disregard for thorough searching, allowed them to slip beneath the scanners of the scouter ships.    
  
The strange magnetic fields in the core of Geonosis itself was known to throw off computerized scans- an odd fact that only someone who survived the Clone War, or a military enthusiast like General Hux, would know. He hoped the rebels might take care of his force user issue for him. The timing of their landing could only be so perfectly and terribly timed as if fate itself had manipulated their arrival. Rey was there, but her state at the time kept her safe from both First Order  _ and _ the Force’s searching techniques. 

-   
  
“This is so strange… I don’t like it.” Rey floated in a containment field, the red and orange ribbed layers of sandstone in the room were a stark contrast to its light and airy blue beam.    
  
“Do you want me to switch it off?”   
  
“No Finn, I have to make sure this is truly force proof.” She closed her eyes and focused, whispering to herself  “The force, trust the force, find the center of your being and grasp where the force runs…” but where she went to reach there was instead a static buzz akin to lost electricity rather than the force. It reminded her of repairing comm transmitters and interstellar radios on Jakku, but it wassn’t a piece of broken technology, it was  _ her  _  that felt broken.    
  
“Rey? Rey, is it working?”   
  
“I think so, let me  try harder.” She closed her eyes, placing her palms together in front of her chest, and gritted her teeth as she tried as hard as she could. It was an eerie, empty nothingness, a feeling reminiscent to when she fell in the pit of darkness on Ach-to, but at least there… there was  _ something.  _ If she could equate the feeling of the containment field to anything, it would be the nights on Jakku when she scratched one more tally in that wall.    
  
Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore  the sound of blaster fire and lightsabers echoed throughout the cavernous hallways.    
  
“They’re here! Switch it off!” Finn pushed a lever and Rey fell to the top of the mound of sand, part of its aquamarine magnetic orb just beginning to peek out.    
  
“You two, re-cover this best you can, I have to go be bait.” The other Rebel soldier, Darik,  grabbed his blaster, but Finn blocked the door, placing a hand on each of her shoulders.    
  
“Rey, are you  _ sure _ this is the best plan? We can go with you, we can-”   
  
“Finn, trust me. He won’t hurt me, I know it. He’ll follow me in here. It’ll work. If you don’t believe in me, at least believe in the force.”   
  
“You know I don’t mean that I don’t believe in you, I just… you don’t  _ know _ him like I do.”   
  
“And you don’t know him like _ I  _ do. Give me fifteen minutes, I guarantee we’ll have him floating like a Selkath in the sea.”   
-   
  
Solus punched the comm on her wrist agian. “Drop the kriffing transports! Where are our troopers?”   
  
“We can’t get a lock ma’am, we-”   
  
“Drop them beside the command shuttle you useless, augh!” more blaster fire aimed for the outcropping her and Kylo had hidden behind, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.   
  
She was insisting on waiting, but Kylo was ready to kill them and get a better handle on the situation. “We don’t have time for this. It feels like there’s about 20 of them, if you can’t do this I can.”   
  
She huffed, the first time he’d ever heard amusement in her tone. “ _ Only _ 20? My ability isn’t the question.”   
  


“Mm. We’ll see.” The corners of his mouth turned upwards in the slightest smile, “On my mark.”   
  
But there was no mark, he rolled out into the hallway and clawed his hand out, the rain of blaster-bolts frozen like a starry halo. A rebel could be heard shouting “Stop, stop! No more!”    
  
With a grunt and a shove Kylo sent all the bolts flying back at their senders, easily killing most of their enemies.    
  
He couldn’t see the way she smiled under helmet. Snoke had so demolished his self confidence that he had no idea how amazing he had to be to accomplish something so difficult. He wielded such power so casually. Her introspection was cut short when the barrage started up again, albeit with noticeably less attackers.    
  
While her helmet kept her safe from the virus’ triggers, it also hindered many of its abilities. She wanted to remove it in the safety of the dim cavern, and allow it to see and feel in ways she could not. Her speed was not affected, though, and to complement his impressive display she attempted one of her own, darting out in front of him, saber lit, as she deflected bolts (one by one as opposed to the more impressive enmasse) back to their enemies.    
  
With the rebels fallen, they entered the massive construction cavern. Sand had blown in and covered much of the machinery- small cracks and holes in the ceiling peeked out to the sky. There was a steep drop, with large metal structures, presumably smelters set on some type of converyor belts, with dunes at their bases, threatening to swallow them back to the planet on which they sat.    
  
“Amazing. These date back to the Clone Wars.” She walked to the edge of  where a bridge used to be, crumbled from war or time, they couldn’t tell.    
  
“My”...  _ my father… “ _ My, ah, I was told that Obi-Wan Kenobi himself was held here.” Kylo remembered his father’s stories of the old man Luke referred to. The more he learned under Snoke, the more he came to realize what an important, and more to the point,  _ powerful _ , Jedi Kenobi was.    
  
“All the more reason we should find this tech.”   
  
“Ben!”   
  
They both spun around at the same time, igniting their sabers in unison. There was a dilapidated entrance at the top of a winding stair case built into the wall.  A small walkway ran around the uppermost parts of the room, one end leading back into the inner workings and the other leading out.    
  
“Ben, come with me or leave here right now!”    
  
He ground his teeth and pointed his crackling blade at the thin figure above them, the silhouette in the light behind her enough for him to know that it was Rey calling out.    
  
“You will come to me.”   
  
“Or you will  _ die.”  _ The voice that added onto his sentence was free of the vocoder. The glass visor was still in place, but the respirator over her mouth hung loose, showing lips drawn tight in a snarl.    
  
“We’ll see about that.” Rey shouted back.   
  
Four rebels carrying a large wooden box ran past her along the narrow floor that still lined the walls, heading towards the outside, while Rey ran into the depths of the structure. They used the force to help them jump and climb up, and when they reached the floor Kylo stopped Solus from following.    
  
“They have the field technology, you stop them and then come for me. I’ll deal with her.” The march of troopers could finally be heard echoing down the halls. “Direct the troopers. I know her, I’ll put an end to this.”    
  
“No, I need to-”    
  
“That’s an  _ order!” _ _   
_ _   
_ “Fine!” she growled in  frustration and ran after the rebels. Something about it just felt… wrong.    
  
While they’d had a few minutes advance, they shouldn’t have gotten outside as quickly as they did. She closed her helmet to protect against the sun’s UV’s, and came out to find a partially restored AAT-9 ship set in a crevice and a group of rebel fighters to escort the box. In retrospect, she would have realized that the way the box was dropped in the middle was a blatant trap. Instead, she focused on felling every sentient she could.    
  
It was tiring, deflecting and dodging and trying to at least slice the box in half. Finally the sound of support fire came from behind, and it provided enough cover for her to get to the wooden crate. She somersaulted through the sand to land in a crouching position, slicing horizontally through….   
  
Through an  _ empty _ box?   
  
_ This is a trap. _   
  
_ No… no no…  _ She reached out for Kylo, and where his familiar presence was in the force, was instead nothingness.    
  
“Kill who you must and take prisoners where you can!” She ordered before sprinting back into the labyrynth..    
  
She couldn’t feel Kylo, but she could feel the light, the girl, the scavenger, the last Jedi and current bane of her existence. He had to be where she was and if he was dead, Solus knew she was the only one that could bring him back. She rounded a corner and could feel the room he was in, doors open. She was running so fast that she crashed in to the side of the door frame with her shoulder, gasping at the sight of him suspended.    
  
The next few seconds were all slow-motion. She hit the frame, saw him, and as she drew in a breath of surprise a doonium-plated Droideka arm smashed into her face, shattering the visor. She stumbled from the blow, but before  she could react the hum of a lightsaber filled her ears.   
  
Not just her ears, though. Her bones sang with song of that blue kyber blade, and she opened her eyes to see Rey staring mere inches away from her broken visor, the hilt of Skywalker’s saber pressed into her ribs. Rey said nothing, mouth twisted into a grimace, but a sadness in her eyes.    
  
The malfunctioning vocoder on the damaged helmet only served to make her threat even more eerie “You’ll regret this deathless death, child.”    
  
There was the familiar whoosh of a saber being deactivated and Solus stumbled to the side, falling to the ground and curling up in a ball. The one eye that was visible through the visor stared out without focus- the face of a corpse beneath a metal shroud.   
  
“No, no no no… no!” Kylo had never thought he would be attached to someone he’d barely known for 3 days, but it felt like she was someone who could actually be his friend, and actually accept him for the way he was- and even if she wasn’t, he at least wanted to figure that out for himself.    
  
“Did you think she would actually help you, Ben? The darkside doesn’t know anything about friendship or caring or, or love, or doing what’s right.”   
  
He stared at her, lifting his chin and curling his lip in disdainful pride before responding. It took effort, she knew, considering how it felt in that horrid beam. “I’ll show you the darkside. And when I do, you’ll understand. I’ll  _ make _ you understand.”   
  
Poe came around the corner, panting,  and almost tripped over Solus’ huddled form “The Falcon is heading our way and we have the Red squadron keeping the TIE’s occupied. The Bothan squadron dropped and is trying to take the Command Shuttle from the ground”   
  
Finn circled his hand, expecting more “Okay? And the Storm Troopers?”   
  
“Both transports are still fighting in the gulley with the decoy. The more important question though, “ Poe drew his blaster and pointed it at Kylo, “Why is this monster still alive?”   
  
“Poe! I told you, he comes with us. Trust me and trust the force.”   
  
He looked over at Finn in disapproval, and he just held up both hands. “I’m more afraid of her than the force, but I’m not questioning either of them.”   
  
Kylo was absolutely seething, equal parts panic, sadness, and fury fighting for dominance. All he could do was float and hope that the darkness came through for him. Even in the brief time he spent disconnected from the force, it made him think about his life without it. Suddenly emotions, and even things as basic as right and wrong, became so much less serious. All it did was make him envy their simplicity, and remind him of the time he almost stole a ship and just left Luke’s academy and everything behind him. The sound of Poe adjusting his blaster broke him from this strange reflection of thought into a time long past.    
  
“Stun? Fine. Stun it is.” Kylo clawed his hand out, hoping the power of pure hatred he had for the pilot would be strong enough to break the containment. It wasn’t, and he went limp from a stun-bolt to the chest. “Okay, I need to get through this disturbance and signal Chewie to our exact location.”   
  
“Not to be rude, Poe, but I’m faster than you. Give me the beacon, you stay here with Finn & Darik.”   
  
Poe frowned and removed the beacon from his wrist. “Fine, I still don’t understand why we can’t kill him.”   
  
Rey put a hand to his chest and leant up to his ear. “You know  _ who _ this is, Poe. She needs him to come home… also he’s kriffing massive and you guys need to drag him.” and with that she pecked him on the cheek and darted off. He might have been wrong with Holdo, but that’s only because she kept him in the dark. Finn turned off the field, and as they each took an arm, they looked at the other with a knowing glance.    
  
“Hey, Derik, go ahead and make sure the path is clear, we’ll have him up right behind you.” Finn felt guilty for betraying her trust, but he and Poe lived in the real world, without the privilege of the force to protect and guide them.    
  
“You, you um… you meant it, right? We shouldn’t keep him alive?”   
  
“It’s better to ask forgiveness than ask permission.” Poe pulled a dagger from his boot and stabbed Kylo’s unconscious form between this ribs, accentuating each jab with a curse.     
  
“ _ This _ is for Han,  _ this _ is for breaking Leia’s heart,  _ this _ is for making Rey believe in you, and  _ this _ is because I never liked you.”   
  
“Poe, what did you just-”   
  
“We’ll tell her he already had them, dropped him, hell, I don’t know and I don’t care, all we have to do is get him outside, can’t keep Derik waiting.”   
  
  
A crimson eye watched as they dragged him from the room, and it could see the warmth of Kylo Ren’s body fading.    
  
Had they paid more attention to the too-easily dispatched hench-woman, they would have noticed the lack of bleed out beneath her body.    
  
_ Being rebels, they likely never enjoyed or observed a kill. _ She thought disdainfully.    
  
At first she did bleed, but her blood wasn’t “blood” in the traditional sense. Upset from being separated from its host, the virus gathered its scavenged cells and returned, an amorphous blob, to the cavity in her chest. This wouldn’t do, how can our host function with structural issues? (she imagined it saying)   
  
She curled to hide her wound as it knit back together, grateful that their bickering and manipulation of morals bought her time to repair. It had been but a minute since they’d left the room that Solus rose, visor fractured over one eye, and bloodlust not just because she was hungry, but because they were trying to steal Kylo Ren. After all she’d been through, she considered him hers.    
  
Staggered down the hallway, stopping just short of the sun. The reflected UV’s were bad enough, her exposed skin already stinging.    
  
“ _ Oh Derik” _ she mused,  _ “I’ve never heard of you, so of course they left you here. Expendable” _ Poe and Finn were about fifty  meters away, both holding comms trying to get signal.  _ In their typical rebel stupidity, they hadn’t counted on the natural cloaking of the planet to also be their downfall. Ironic. _   
  
Kylo was still bleeding out, stunned, and cuffed. She palmed open the release to her helmet, grateful that the mechanism worked despite the damage. Derik had a hand over his eyes, blocking the sun as he watched his comrades. She used the force to drag him backward to the shadows of the hallway, silencing his surprise with a hand over the mouth and teeth to his neck. They’d wandered about ten more meters out when Poe did a little jump in glee   
  
“Yes! She found Chewie and now Chewie found us, we just have to….”   
  
Solus let the still-sputtering soldier’s body fall to the ground. “You just have to what? Come to me.” She held out her hand, using every wavelength and ability the virus had to summon them. Never had she wanted to inflict pain so intensely and so  _ personally,  _ but they were too far away for it to take hold.   
  
The Falcon appeared over a butte and began to land, Rey on the already- lowered landing ramp, horrified at the sight of black-clad Solus in the shadows of the stone.    
  
“You were supposed to stay with him!” She tried to shout over the landing engines. They both looked at her and then back to see Solus sprinting towards them, skin beginning to smoulder like burning parchment.    
  
“We have to leave him!” Poe shouted, as he ran with Finn just behind him. They’d barely made it to the ramp when she called for Chewie to pull up.    
  
The ramp left the sands but Solus leapt as much as she could, clawing to hold onto the beveled edge of the metal plank.   
  
_ “This isn’t over!”  _ It was an inhuman screech through cracked, bloody lips before falling back to the planet. She wouldn’t let her exercise of arrogance risk Kylo’s  life. She ran back to his unconscious form dragging him, with a frighteningly wide trail of blood, back into into the safety of the halls.    
  
  
“No, No Kylo, I won’t let you. Please, please don’t make me do this,  _ please _ don’t…” a trooper came up behind her, and the timing could not have been better.    
  
“Ma’am, the Supreme Leader, does he need evac?”   
  
“Yes he kriffing needs evac! Something here is scrambling our comms, have the command shuttle just jump to the other side of this butte, near the AAT wreckage where the first 2 platoons took heavy engagement!”   
  
“Yes ma’am.”   
  
It was half determination and half force that let her drag him. Asking for a trooper’s assistance was an easy solution not thought of in the panic. All she could think about was how she had to save him, how this was on her, and how she couldn’t lose him. If she ever turned him it would be something he asked her for, not forced upon him on some derelict desert planet the same way it was forced on her. He deserved better than that.   
  
The pain from his injury helped ease off the stun of the bolt gun, and just as they made it into the command shuttle he tried to fight her off, not knowing where he was. The face that looked at him almost looked like Solus, but it looked as if she’d caught fire, lips peeled a raw red, crepe-paper layers of skin hanging from her cheeks, and the distinct smell of burnt flesh in his nostrils.    
  
He went to push this garish demon away, but when he tried to breathe in to shout a rattle of blood turned it into a thick cough instead of words.    
  
“Leave us! Now! Get a med team prepared in the Finalizer for our arrival!” She fumbled to unbuckle his wide belt, and rather than tend each individual eye-clasp she ripped the front of his tunic open, moving it to see the stab wounds in his side.    
  
She looked back up at him, somehow her face more Solus and less Nightsister zombie than before. “Kylo, I need you to trust me, please,  _ please.  _ You’re dying,” she shook her head emphatically, “And I won’t have that. I’m going to medicate you, and you need to take it, do you understand?”   
  
He thought he nodded and said yes, but his pale face merely bobbed and his lower lip wavered in an attempt at words. Solus yanked off her glove and severed her ulnar artery in her right hand with with a swift bite. She pressed it to his mouth, and he flinched at first, but then drank greedily.    
  
To an injured human it tastes like whatever they want it or need  it to be- in its feral state the virus wants to be as accommodating as possible. This mechanism was originally meant as a way to pass from hosts in their death-throes to those higher up the food chain.     
  
She felt he was safe enough to take the virus on without fully succumbing. That only happens when a creature is dead and the virus animates it again… like her. She thought about it while she bled into his mouth, him weakly taking it in as if it were actual medicine.    
  
_A defilement of consciousness, a bastardization of life and a corruption in the force._   
_The fact that a walking corpse such as yourself can even still wield it is a testament to fate, not to you._   
_Prove yourself useless enough and I’m sure your abilities will leave you, and you’ll just be even more of a husk than you already are. A vapid shell, a puppet for disease._   
_I wonder if my attempt to forge and bend you into something useful is just a feat of utter arrogance._   
  
Snoke's words came back to her, and when she saw that his injuries were significantly healed she yanked her wrist away, squeezing the wound shut. It was all too much. When the officers on the command shuttle dared to check on them they found Kylo laid out but nearly healed, and Solus asleep on the floor beside him.

**Author's Note:**

> I might write more, not entirely sure yet. I love vampires and there's a pretty filthy smut scene already creeping around in my dumpster brain.
> 
> I banged this out instead of working on my Kylux WIP, and I apologize for any poor writing or misspellings, thank you for making it through it.
> 
> *shakes fist* damn you, plot bunnies!!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it :)


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